It's a long, long story that Canadians debate endlessly. I am too tired to fill in the details. I may have to lift some bits from the long political debates back in my AI days, where we discussed the merits of public health insurance. Oh the memories. Trumptman, where are you when I need a good political argument?
My basic assessment is that the Canadian system is fairly good, but is straining under the stress of the rising costs of medical services. That's true in the U.S. too, but the strains are showing in different spots and affecting different people.
If you need cutting edge treatment and are rich enough to afford it (or have a generous HMO), then you are better off in the U.S. For everything and everyone else, it is better in Canada. Overall, Canada spends far less of a percentage of its GDP on health care costs, has better public health key indicators, and a higher level of public satisfaction with its system than in the U.S. Actually, you can say that about pretty much every western country. The U.S. leads the world in medical advancement and treatment, but it does it at great cost and still fails to provide adequate and affordable health care for a significant proportion of its population.
When there's an eel in the lake that's as long as a snake that's a moray.
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